Industry Insider

Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co, announced that it has finalized the acquisition of Unicorn Financial Services, a leading patient-financing company. The combined company officially launched its expanded set of patient-financing products as ChaseHealthAdvance financing options.

ChaseHealthAdvance benefits to providers and patients include:

 Flexible, no-interest payment plans;  Very competitive service fees for providers;  New extended payment plans;  Higher approval rates;  Credit lines to provide for current and future procedures; and  Superior customer service for providers and patients.

Additionally, medical practitioners will have access to all of Chase’s financial products, such as business banking, real estate financing, equipment leasing, cash management, credit card processing, and loan products.

Henry Schein Dental hosted a commemorative ribbon-cutting event for their new trade booth at this year’s Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting. More than 500 Team Schein Members and vendor partners attended the Friday morning ceremony before the opening of the trade show floor to customers.

“This beautiful new Henry Schein Dental booth is important for two reasons,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Henry Schein, who cut the ribbon to open the booth. “First, it unifies our broad product and service offering to our dental customers, and includes 13 business groups all presented under the Henry Schein Dental brand. Everything that is featured in the booth can be purchased from Henry Schein, and the range of technology-driven equipment, dental products, and value-added services to enhance a dental practice is truly astounding. Second, our new booth is one of many environmental initiatives that are part of Henry Schein’s commitment to corporate social responsibility. I am proud that this booth incorporates numerous innovations that make the majority of the exhibit’s build environmentally friendly.”

These innovations focus on the concepts of re-use, recycle, and reduce throughout the booth. Flooring from Henry Schein Dental’s previous booth was re-used, as were energy-efficient video screens. Everything from pens, paper, and mouse pads to furniture, fabric, carpet, and lanyards is made from recycled material. The booth is lightweight, which reduces transportation costs and saves energy. Energy-efficient lighting was also installed to reduce energy usage. Henry Schein Dental’s Everything Dental® EXPERIENCE both will receive a green rating shortly from a certified environmental organization.

Glidewell Laboratories to Expand Implant Services

Glidewell Laboratories announced that they will expand their Implant Department to offer removable and fixed-removable implant solutions.

This announcement of continued commitment formalizes Glidewell’s intention to make significant contributions to the implant market. Initially, the laboratory will offer four additional all-inclusive implant solutions with flat-rate pricing. The Locator Overdenture, CAD/CAM Ti Bar Overdenture, CAD/CAM Ti Bar/Acrylic Hybrid and CAD/CAM Ti Bar/Ceramic Hybrid provide custom-designed solutions, a unique ability also known as mass customization.

Glidewell Laboratories is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the principles of mass customization, and removable and fixed-removable implant restorations lend themselves well to its manufacturing concepts. Glidewell will combine these principles with the latest CAD/CAM technology to build in production and price efficiencies.

“We are delighted to be able to support our customers with these new services,” announced James R. Glidewell, president and CEO of Glidewell Laboratories. “Our mission is to help make dentistry more affordable for a greater number of patients, and I see no better way to do that than to help bring reasonably priced, high-value solutions to the edentulous market. These services are a result of the pursuit of that goal, and we are grateful for the opportunity.”

Sikka Software Corporation and PracticeWorks, Inc, the exclusive maker of KODAK Dental Systems, signed an agreement whereby PracticeWorks will endorse and recommend Sikka products and services to customers. The new partnership will provide PracticeWorks customers the opportunity to optimize their business financials based on the unique capabilities of Sikka Software, which provides business intelligence and optimization software and services to dental professionals.

Sikka Software develops products that help dental professionals maximize the profitability and efficiency of their practices. The company provides doctors with critical intelligence on the vital areas of their practice, and shows return on investment (ROI) in marketing, patients, fees, and insurance. This information allows dental professionals to make informed decisions that boost the performance of their business.

Drake Lab Gains Advanced Captek Certification

Drake Precision Dental Laboratory has achieved the highest level of Captek training: Advanced Captek Certification. This exclusive certification is achieved by a select group of Captek laboratories, qualifying them to offer the most advanced techniques and services available with Captek technology. As an Advanced Captek Certified Lab we offer Captek restorations for the following applications and more: long-span bridges, implant restorations, single crowns, and even full-arch cases. These broadened indications are possible using the newest Captek materials: Captek Bridge & Implant.

Captek Bridge & Implant is a great alternative to traditional porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations. The same preparation and cementation methods that you traditionally use can be maintained for remarkable ease of use. Prescribing Captek from Drake will allow you to provide restorations that are esthetic, oxide-free, stronger, and clinically proven to improve and maintain oral health.

Take advantage today and experience the difference in what an Advanced Captek Certified Lab can do for you.

First Nobel Biocare Brånemark Osseointegration Award Presented

At the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) in Boston, MA, Nobel Biocare and the AO Foundation awarded Professor Per-Ingvar Brånemark with the inaugural Nobel Biocare Brånemark Osseointegration Award in honor of his life’s work and his discovery of osseointegration and implant dentistry.

“Securing the safety of every patient with predictable structural and functional rehabilitation of oral and maxillofacial defects requires close collaboration of clinical and technical development and critical long-term documentation,” states Prof. Brånemark. “The constructive interaction between clinical reality from the AO and the required hardware from Nobel Biocare is identified and emphasized in this award.”

The Nobel Biocare Brånemark Osseointegration Award acknowledges individuals who demonstrate a driven desire to advance patient oral health and well-being through humanitarian, research, and educational excellence in the field of implant dentistry. The monetary award of $100,000 will be distributed yearly by the AO Foundation and will provide essential support for the continuation of existing research grant programs and enable many more individuals to benefit from charitable programs of the AO Foundation. “Nobel Biocare shares a special heritage with P-I Brånemark,” comments Domenico Scala, CEO of Nobel Biocare “and we are honored to facilitate the continuation of excellence in implant dentistry and quality-of-life improvements, which he began over 40 years ago.”

Essential Dental Seminars Announces the Addition of a New 3-D Microscope

Essential Dental Seminars has enhanced its educational courses to incorporate the use of a new state-of-the-art 3-D microscope. With this technology, dentists can easily view signs of hidden or calcified canals, the true depth of the canals, and the pulp chamber.

The Hands-On Dental Education Center (HODEC) is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment that will bring continuing education to a new level, delving into such topics as access, instrumentation, obturation, posts, core build-up material, overdenture, equipment, and practice building. HODEC was recently awarded the Dentist’s Guide to Continuing Education Editor’s Award for Excellence in Education (2007).

Milestone Scientific Hosts First International CCLAD Summit

Milestone Scientific Inc, hosted the First International Computer-Controlled Local Anesthetic Delivery (CCLAD) Summit in New Orleans. The Summit welcomed a distinguished panel of dental experts who gathered to discuss advancements in the scientific and clinical practice communities toward the common goal of advancing the art, science, and knowledge of CCLAD in dentistry.

Joe Martin, CEO of Milestone, noted, “Through this Summit, Milestone hoped to provide a forum for open and objective discussion by a unique blend of academia, key opinion leaders, and practicing dentists. The in-depth discussion, debate, and exchange of ideas that occurred helped to provide Milestone with confirmation that the STA System and the CompuDent® (formerly known as The WAND®) are significant improvements over traditional injection techniques.”

The 2-day Summit was chaired by noted dental anesthetic expert, Stanley Malamed, DDS, professor of Anesthesia and Medicine in the School of Dentistry at the University of Southern California. The interactive forum yielded exciting ideas on how Milestone can integrate the STA System not only into dental school curricula, but also extend the message to the dental community and patients.

With a commitment to give back for the advancement of ethical dentistry, scientific research, and worldwide dental outreach programs to help the less fortunate, leaders of the new Dawson Academy are announcing the creation of the Peter E. Dawson Foundation.

The announcement was made by DeWitt Wilkerson, DMD, the Foundation’s chairman during a press conference in Chicago, IL, during the Midwinter Dental Meeting.

“The Foundation supports the education of dentists all over the world,” Wilkerson said. “These are dentists who do not have the training that dentists have here in the United States and whose patients cannot afford or know about proper oral healthcare.”

In addition to its outreach program, another of the Foundation’s goals is to provide an annual opportunity for new dental school graduates to learn key fundamentals for successful and ethical practices, new practice start-up tips, and concepts for financial security and practice management for a balanced family life. There will be no tuition for attendees.

FDI President to Address OSAP Symposium

The Organization for Safety andAsepsis Procedures (OSAP) has announced that Dr. Burton Conrod, president of the FDI World Dental Federation, will be the keynote speaker at its 2008 Symposium, which will take place June 12 to June 15 at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, CA. The speech, which will be the 3rd Annual John Zapp Memorial Lecture, is being sponsored by Sunstar Americas, Inc, manufacturer of GUM and Butler branded oral care and dental materials.

OSAP recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FDI and is a supporting member of the Federation. The FDI represents more than 190 member associations in more than 135 countries. It is the worldwide, authoritative, and independent voice of the dental profession.

“We are delighted to have Dr. Conrod address our Symposium,” says Therese Long, executive director of OSAP. “Our relationship with FDI is vital to furthering our goal of promoting infection control and safety in dentistry worldwide.” Dr. Conrod will review global initiatives and how OSAP has and can contribute to increasing the safety of oral care around the world.

Details of the Symposium as well as a reservation form are available online at www.OSAP.org or can be requested by calling 800-298-OSAP (6727).